APL receives first 14,000-TEU ship

Monday, March 25, 2013

APL Temasek

The Singapore-based liner carrier APL on Monday received its largest ever containership, the 14,000-TEU APL Temasek, the first in a series of 10 such ships the line will receive in the coming months.
The largest vessel previously in APL’s fleet were a series of 10 10,000-TEU ships delivered in 2011 and 2012.
The ship is named after Singapore’s former name, with the rest of the vessels to be named after Singapore icons. Temasek is also the name of Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, which owns a share of APL parent NOL.
“Today, we celebrate a landmark in NOL’s history,” said NOL Group Chairman Kwa Chong Seng. “We are modernizing our fleet, improving our cost structure, and investing in the future. To compete successfully in today’s marketplace, we must ensure that we have the most competitive product with the latest technology, design and sustainability features. With the delivery of this new series, we are on track to fulfill current and future requirements for more economical and environmentally-sustainable ship operations.”
NOL said the ship has a specially-designed bow and broader hull form to improve operating efficiency at various speeds, especially for slow steaming. The carrier estimates that with the new design, it will be able to improve fuel efficiency by about 20 percent to 30 percent per TEU for a speed range of 15 to 18 knots, compared to previous designs.
The ship will be deployed on the G6 Alliance’s Loop 4 service between Asia and Europe. APL is scheduled to receive four more of the vessels this year and the remaining five in 2014. APL has some 30 ships of between 9,200 and 14,000 TEUs on order for delivery between 2012 and 2014. - Eric Johnson